Field
The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly, to a distributed algorithm for constructing and maintaining a hierarchical structure for device-to-device (D2D) synchronization.
Background
In a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) broadcast synchronization signals (primary synchronization signals (PSS) and secondary synchronization signals (SSS)) in each cell every 5 ms. In a D2D network, each user equipment (UE) may broadcast synchronization signals at a much slower rate (e.g., once every second) in order to reduce energy consumption. Because UEs may synchronize based on synchronization signals from other UEs, methods and apparatuses are needed for improving D2D timing synchronization.